Word on the street is that the National Institue of Standards and Technology is close to signing a Lease Management Agreement with Clear Channel Communications, Inc. for its flagship Time and Frequency station WWV, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Clear Channel Radio's consultants have demanded some changes to the sound of the station, which broadcasts time of day, standard frequency, and other information 24 hours per day, saying that the old format is "dull and predictable."

Additionally, WWV's traditional modulation level of 50 percent for the steady tones, 50 percent for the BCD time code and 75 percent for the voice announcements was deemed "not loud enough." The station will reformulate itself as "The Tick."

WWV's program director Hickory Zeitgeist says that the station has already added some snappy new announcements to the rotation, which can be heard by clicking the clock.